Legends of Fire
by DarkLux
Summary: Grown up and with their own legacy to protect, the former Konoha 11 must face a new threat lingering over them. The new generation of ninjas has been born, however, and the price they pay will be a big one. Please read!
1. Prologue: Time of War

This is a story which idea I had already tried on here, in spanish, but I did not like the result, and I realized I was not following many of the rules in the Naruto universe, besides the fact that it was written poorly. So! I decided to make a better edition of it, and to make it in English, to see how the readers would react.

Okay, so, yes, this is a New Generation fanfic, **BUT** before you roll your eyes and leave, allow me a chance to show you I can pull it off, maybe even make it interesting. A New Generation story that does not make the children exact copies of their parents, one where the new Generation has their own weaknesses and challenges to overcome, and quirks can make them show their human side rather than them all being mary sues like some stories out there.

This is the Prologue. The first chapter will mention various characters, however, they will all appear gradually in order to focus on each team/individual with more attention. The reason why many are placed at the beginning is so that they do not appear out of nowhere later on in the story and there is not confusion. I will, however, place a list with each individual and their description at the beginning of each chapter is you guys wish for it.

Rating: T [Might change to M later on, but that's yet to be decided]

And here we go-!

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><p>Prologue<br>_Time of War_

If we don't end war, war will end us.

H. G. Wells

**%&%&%&%LoF&%&%&%&**

The masked figure waited. His white vest was now almost completely crimson with blood, both his and his enemy's. His pale arms were covered in scars, old and new, and his black trousers were full of holes that could only have been made with knives.

It was supposed to be an easy mission. But like all things when war was approaching, it had proved itself to be anything but that. The security for this man, for this _scum_ of a human being had been enhanced, and the guards have proven themselves to be tough. Two months had it taken him to find the safe house.

But now he had a mission to complete.

The door of the mansion opened, and a tall man, maybe in his early forty's came into full view on the masked youth.

The wounded shinobi stood up in the branch he had been resting on, and his full height did not even reach five feet. But this was the cost of war. Sacrificing children that seemed capable enough to do such dirty jobs. They were small, fast, and they had been trained to do nothing more than to kill. That was their way of life, at least for most.

Wobbly, and clearly tired from all his fighting and waiting, the boy leaped down of the tree, with barely a sound being made.

The target tensed, slightly, and turned his head towards where he thought the enemy could be. Seeing nothing but darkness, he decided that his mind was playing tricks on him, that he needed to rest more and that there was no way people could find him here. That's what they'd promised.

The boy, whose porcelain tiger mask shone with the symbol of the Leaf right underneath the left eye, moved as fast as he could until he stood in front of his target.

Shock and fright poured into the target's face, but he was frozen in his spot and all that could escape from his lips at seeing such a small child with a tanto covered in blood was a choked sound of surprise.

"Boo." Whispered the boy in such a cold way that only caused the older male to tense further.

And a second later, the short sword had been driven through the target's chest.

That was it.

His name wasn't important, nor were his looks.

He was Target.

Target and nothing more.

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><p>There was the Prologue. I know it was short, but the first chapter is much longer. Promise. Please! Leave me your thoughts and your criticism, or if you have any idea for the story, you can send me that, too, and I'll see how to adapt it for the story. Of course, you will be given credit for the idea!<p>

Also, a question. What is your first thought when I say "old book"?


	2. Inheritance of Will

Hello! Well, I know I took my time to publish this chapter, but hopefully you are still interested in this.

Um, there were no reviews last time, so how would I know how to get better? Please, If you have the chance, review my chapter! =)

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><p><strong><em>Chapter 1<br>_**_Inheritance of Will_

Children... are our legacy. Our responsibility. They are our destiny and we are theirs. The extent to which we fail as parents, we fail as God's children.  
><span>Dirk Benedict<span>

**%&%&%&%&%&%&%&**

The birds flew low on the sky. The air was warm, hot even, and the sun had been unyielding for hours, as if it did not mind the fact that it was barely six in the morning, and if it wanted too, it could rest for one more hour, or at least a few more minutes.

A young boy ran along the road, red ninja sandals sinking on the gravel. The movement was almost desperate, as the loose surface caused him to slow down considerably.

It was not his fault that he was late. He actually hated being so, but his alarm clock had broken a few days ago, and though his parents said they would buy him a new one, they still hadn't done so. And so, he had asked his father to wake him, a bad idea, of course, seeing that his father did not mind being late to even meeting the Hokage, but his mother was on a mission and his brother had gone stay with a friend of his, so he had no option.

His chest ached by the time he reached the Academy's grounds, and he stopped for a second, coughing and wheezing. His ruby red eyes closed, feeling light-headed. He decided to walk from there, since his classroom was not that far away and things would not end up nicely if he kept running.

His short legs carried him up to the white sliding door, which he opened quietly. He first peeked in, his short and shaggy greyish white hair announcing him before he could even look inside.

Once he didn't see the teacher, the small boy was quick to get inside the room, wishing the kids that were on time would not notice him. He looked around until he caught sights of his two friends. He hurried over, though being careful about his speed.

"Hey Kushina, Minato." He greeted once he had slid into the seat next to them. Identical pairs of eyes looked at him. Childish faces greeting him with a smile.

"'sup, Takeshi?" The girl asked, as the boy smiled cheekily at him.

The twins both shared the same blond hair color, although Kushina's reached a little past her shoulders while Minato's was short and the back ended exactly where his neck did, leaving his whole face uncovered. Just the same, they owned the same pearly lavender eyes.

"I've been better." He replied, taking a deep breath as if to prove his point. "Sensei isn't here yet?"

The blond boy shook his head, yawning and propping his chin on his opened hand. "He's never late, though, he should be here soon."

"We've been waiting for almost two hours, dad wanted to drop us off, but he had to be in the office early." Kushina explained, wanting the excuse the behavior her brother was portraying. She elbowed him with a frown on her face.

Just then, the door opened loudly, and a dark-skinned man walked in. He wore the standard Konoha shinobi outfit, though the garments were visibly beaten up; the once black pants and shirt becoming gray with use, and the flak jacket had tears that had been roughly stitched up.

The man held his black hair up in a spiky ponytail, and had a scar across the bridge of his nose. He held up the list of names of the children in the room, an action that brought the room into an immediate revolution as everyone attempted to get back on their seats. Once the students were in their places, the man's dark eyes examined the students' faces carefully.

"_My last ones" _He thought, a nostalgic smile spreading on his face.

He allowed a few minutes to pass as he remembered. He could still see the shadows of all his students running around the classroom as he tried to explain something he considered of vital importance at the time. Iruka could still smell the sweat from which he could identify which students were growing up. He could still feel the pride and sadness when they went away.

"As you know," He began in a strong voice, "Yesterday you were given the results from your written test, which brought you here, meaning you were the only ones who passed." As Iruka looked around the room, he regretted the word 'only' as there were so many students that some were standing up due to the lack of seats. "Now, you will be called one by one, and you will head to the classroom next door, where the second half of the exam will take place, understood?"

The room filled with affirmative answers; excited and nervous, old and young, the voices mixing into one. Iruka nodded as he read the first name of the list.

"Abe, Chikako."

The movement of the old wood creaking underneath the weight of the girl as she moved to the front of the classroom was the only sound that could be heard. Everyone else was strangely quiet, their breathing kept in check as they stared at the first candidate.

The door closed behind her, and all the children let out a breath they didn't know were holding. It was just strange, because they wanted her to pass, or at least most of them did, but at the same time, they knew there was a limit in the Jonin, and, looking around, there were definitely more students than what the available teachers would be able to handle.

_Tic-Tac_ Sounded the clock attached above the blackboard. _Tic-Tac _again and again. That was the only sound the students could hear, besides the rustling of paper coming from Iruka's desk.

"Aburame, Shuu."

Once again, the sound of the chair being moved caused the heads to turn towards the new candidate. The boy ignored them, however, which was easy to do thanks to the dark, aviator goggles that covered his eyes. He was wearing a dark blue jacket that went almost down to his knees, and his hair was covered by the hoodie of the coat.

Silently, the boy made his way down the stairs, feeling them creak beneath his weight as the other stared at him like he was some sort of experiment that had malfunctioned. He began moving his head in various angles, making the bones crack with a minimal effort on his part. This caused everyone to divert their glances somewhere else.

With a final crack of his neck, Shuu disappeared behind the sliding door of the classroom.

A collective breath seemed to escape the students, as they all slumped back in their chairs after being so tense. In reality, it was not the Aburame's fault, it was just the way he carried himself that seemed to throw everyone off-guard, though the boy had tried talking to several of them a few times, they had been too busy looking at him to pay attention to his words.

And now they felt he resented them. Somehow.

"That guy is really scary." Whispered a voice near them.

The two blonds and the red-eyed boy turned their heads just in time to see Inokku Inuzuka hug himself a little before placing his head on his arms to rest. The boy, with shaggy dark brown hair and bright blue eyes with pupils like slits, trembled in his seat. The small black dog on his lap, smaller than most of the dogs of the Inuzuka clan, at least, trembled along with its partner.

Though he wouldn't admit it, Minato had to agree. He didn't know why, but he just felt strangely cold when he was near Shuu.

"Akimichi, Chojiro"

And one by one, the classroom started to become empty, with half the people gone, no one was really aware of whether it was easier or harder to breathe by the minute. The children had stopped looking to the front, stiff with fear, and were now beginning to turn to look at the other candidates, sizing them up, trying to remember them for the classes and training to see if they were real competition for them.

Most of the students could now sit on the desks, and there were only three that were left standing up, which were the oldest kids who had surely failed the tests before, since they could have been easily sixteen years old.

Iruka looked at his list again, and wrote something on it, then searched through the faces of students until he found the person he needed.

"Hatake, Takeshi" He called, but made a gesture so that the boy would approach him rather than head to the door.

The boy slowly got up from his seat, the squeak of the chair against the floor breaking the silence that reigned in the room. Swallowing his own saliva, he approached the teacher. He frowned when he got there; sure, he knew he was short, but he had never noticed he was_ just_ as tall as Iruka's desk.

The adult whispered something to the child, making both sure none of the other students could hear him nor read his lips as he did so. He didn't wait much before pulling an official looking paper out a folder and place it in front of the red-eyed child.

Takeshi stood on his tip-toes and eyed the document. He read the lines, just like his parents and brother had told him to do many times before. He noticed that it was already signed by both of his parents and the Hokage, and one sole line stood for his own name to be written. Nodding, the boy took the pen that Iruka was offering him and signed before turning the paper back to the man.

Finally sighing nervously, the seven-year-old walked out of the class room, hearing the emptiness of the hallway fill his ears as he entered in the room the exam would take place in.

Two pairs of piercing eyes watched him closely, and though Takeshi kept his eyes trained on the floor, he could feel the stares holding him in place. He took a deep breath and finally dared to raise his ruby gaze to the couple of men behind the table.

"We will grade the first part of the physical exam. Are you ready, boy?" Called one of them, looking up and down his tiny frame.

Takeshi could feel his knees shaking in anticipation, but he nodded, the abnormal colored hair bouncing according to the movement.

_**$/$/$/$/$/$/$/$/$/$/$/$**_

In the classroom, the atmosphere had gotten heavier, all worried about what exactly the Hatake boy had signed, wondering if they would be affected by such an event. Iruka did not seem to be paying any true attention to them, however, instead focusing on the various papers that had been spread across his desk.

The man suddenly grabbed the list once more, and looked around the room, searching for the student that was next on his list.

"Hyuuga, Takumi." Called the sensei.

A boy, around ten years of age, with light brown hair that covered most his forehead and part of his eyes, and blank brown eyes got up from his seat. He looked thin, and the bruise located at the side of his face only made his skin look paler than what it naturally was.

He walked, though a little wobbly, to the front of the room, eyeing Iruka before walking out of the door.

"How does he know when the last one is done?" Kushina whispered to her twin brother in an attempt to make their waiting a little more bearable.

The boy simply shrugged his shoulders, and the girl could see how her brother passed a piece of folded paper to a girl sitting in the bench next to theirs; she had blond hair that could easily pass off as white, and dark green eyes; she was thin and three years older than them, which showed in her height when they were standing, if anything in her features was to be slightly unique, it would be the red marks that looked like fangs tattooed with red ink on her cheeks. In the desk in front of her, there was a small puppy, whose fur was different shades of brown.

Kushina rolled her eyes at Minato's attitude, and rested her had on her hand once more. There was no way the nerves would overcome her again. She hoped her friend had been able to control himself, too, as she knew the younger boy was quite shy and was often nervous.

Deciding to distract herself a little now that she could concentrate on something other than the tic-tac of the clock, she looked around the room. She could recognize various people from around the tables, all of them older than her by at least a year, but remaining close to her age group.

A pair of serious green eyes caught with hers. Kushina stared, and only looked away when the eyes closed for a second. Not too far away from her sat Naoko Uchiha, the oldest child of her father's teammates. The girl had pale skin, like both of her parents, and short black hair. In Kushina's honest opinion, she looked like a boy; with that old blue t-shirt and black shorts that were obviously not designed for females. Not that she could say much, she was pretty much a tomboy as well, which was probably the reason of the healthy rivalry both girls shared.

Next to her, sat a boy with the same black hair, peculiarly styled in such a way that would resemble his father's; his dark eyes, though focusing on the clock at the front of the room, were looking indiscreetly between the door and Iruka, as if he tried to figure when the next student would have to pass. If Kushina had to make a critical analysis, she would say that this boy, Ryuu, was way too proud of himself to be a true ninja, if what her dad had told her was true.

"Inuzuka, Inoue."

Kushina's head snapped back to the front of the classroom, just in time to see the girl her brother was talking to walk in front of her. Minato and the girl shared an encouraging smile, though Inoue's was clearly more forced than the boy's.

"I hope she does good." Whispered Minato one the door had closed behind the girl.

His twin rolled her eyes, but nodded, giving half a shrug. The girl was good, she had good skills and despite her girly appearance, Kushina was sure she was among the best in that ball of kids that wished to be Genin.

"Inuzuka, Inokku." Called Iruka a couple of minutes after the blonde had disappeared.

With a nervous gulp and a deep breath to calm down, the brown haired boy with the small black dog rose from his seat trembling. He steadied himself by grabbing the end of his table. The small dog in his arms licked his face a little, causing the boy to smile slightly.

With seemingly regained confidence, the boy walked down the stairs and out of the room., leaving behind a group of students that now, seeing his actions, were a tad more nervous about entering the exam room.

Because that is what happens when you don't know what to expect; the reaction of others makes you react the same way. They might know more than you. They might know what's coming. They might be your partners when in war. And you wanted to make sure people that were not able to prepare themselves correctly were left out of your way.

"Do you really think you'll pass the test?" Asked a much too familiar voice next to Minato.

The twins turned, frown already drawn on their faces as they saw Ryuu out of his seat and in the chair next to the Minato's.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I?" Came Minato's reply. _Why? Why did you answer him?_ He told himself the moment the words had left his mouth. His father had insisted, day after day, that is was better to leave the fight without it being started.

"'Cause you're eight." The onyx eyed boy said, reaching for his shoulder to scratch it. "'sides, I think your little friend is already crying outside. He's seven; the Sensei aren't stupid."

"Well, you're ten, but you're still here." Kushina whispered angrily. "Guess we're just better than you."

Ryuu frowned deeply, but instead of fighting, he turned away from her.

"What? Too scared to fight with sister?" Taunted Minato, an uncharacteristic sarcastic smile spread on his face.

The Uchiha kicked his seat, moving it towards Kushina a few inches with the force. The blond was much less heavier than his classmate, and so couldn't do much to stop the movement.

"Don't be stupid. It's just not worth it to fight with a girl." He spat "If you lose, you lose to a girl, and if you win, you win to a girl. What's the point?"

With that, the boy got off from his seat hastily and went back to sit next to his sister, who rolled her eyes at something he whispered to her.

"Nara, Shikarou." Iruka said loudly, almost like he hadn't heard the commotion between the two boys just seconds before. The smile on his face, though, told otherwise.

A tiny boy, that could not be older than nine, got up from his seat, and ran a hand along his jet black hair as he slowly walked the steps down to the front of the room. He held a book in his right hand, and his dark green eyes had dark circles under them.

Although the twins knew him well, they didn't dare to interrupt the pace that the boy had acquired, fearing that he would fall and roll down the stairs in his zombie-like state.

Iruka got up from his seat when he noticed this and made his way towards the aspiring ninja. He kneeled in front of him, holding the boy by his shoulders. He whispered him a few questions, even reaching to touch his forehead in case the boy had a fever.

The sensei, though unconvinced with the answers the boy had given him, gently pried the book out of his hands and ruffled his hair before letting him continue walking towards the examination room.

"What do think is wrong?" Wondered Minato as he eyed the dark-skinned sensei make his way back to his desk.

The question was left without reply, as Kushina was now covering her face with her closed fists, her elbows propped on the desk in concentration. That seemed like something the girl did often, and Minato could swear he had never seen his sister so focused in his life.

The list kept moving on, each of the students accompanied by a face that, no matter the results, would end like just a name, whether it was in battle or a sign outside of a store.

It was hard for all the occupants of the room, knowing that each moment the war came closer and closer. Most tried not to think about it, and occupied themselves in childish games. But everyone could see. The desks were not as new as they looked when they first entered the academy, the gigantic chalkboards that were supposed to lead them to a greater knowledge had been replaced with small ones, the ANBU now walked through the streets without hiding, looking everywhere and remaining as alert as they could.

"Uchiha, Naoko."

Kushina rose her head, watching as the older girl walked down the stairs.

"Good luck." She whispered to her when the eleven-year-old passed next to her.

The Uchiha paused for a second turning back to look at the twins with a small, nervous smile on her face.

"You, too."

In reality, most of the students were not nervous about the test. They had been trained much harsher than the previous generations, after all. They were nervous for what would happen afterwards, going to war, or staying there and only watch as shinobi from their village died without being able to do anything. None were good choices.

Ryuu was next. And then was Kushina.

Minato was left alone in the room, with only Iruka to make him company. The man was no longer looking at papers, and was instead staring out the window, watching as gray clouds that were beginning to hide the sun behind them, seemingly lost in his thoughts.

"Sensei," said Minato hesitantly. The man, slightly taken aback by the sudden voice, glanced at him in question. "Have you ever been on a war?"

_Why, yes! Two._ "Ah, aren't you a little young to worry about war, Minato-kun?" The man retorted instead. He was not in the mood of talking of something like that, especially not with the son of the person who had the cause sealed inside him.

"Mom says that. But we'll be a part of it soon." Said the blond, resting his head on the palm of his hand. His expression was now one of curiosity.

"You pray for that not to happen."

"Huh?"

"N—Minato Uzumaki." The man smiled. "It's your turn."

The blond was up and running in a flash. Seriously, he was tired of people walking like the rest of the world could wait for them. He was going to be a ninja! And just like in that moment, no one would be able to discourage him.

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><p>Thank you for reading! and please, if you have any ideas or even a character tell me about it! I might me able to include it.<p>

**Question: Pencil or pen?**


	3. Childhood Dreams

Hey! Here's me again, with a chapter. A long chapter. I know I'm slow. Sorry. I had stuff, and other projects to do, but this chapter is done, so I bring it here for you to enjoy!

**Special thanks to:** **sco23** and **Prongslette94** for reviewing**.**

Here's the promised table with the names of the kids (it'll get better, but it's 6AM and I haven't slept finishing this. Bear with me)

**Minato Uzumaki:** 8-years-old. He has blond hair and pearly-white eyes with no pupils. (Parents: Naruto and Hinata)  
><strong>Kushina Uzumaki<strong>: 8-years-old. She has blonde hair and pearlt-shite eyes with no pupils. (Parents: Naruto and Hinata)  
><strong>Takeshi Hatake<strong>: 7-years-old. He has grayish-white hair and crimson eyes. (Parents: Kakashi and Kurenai) He will have a brother, who will determine the time between this story and the series.  
><strong>Ryuu Uchiha:<strong> 10-years-old. He has black hair and eyes. (Parents: Sasuke and Sakura)  
><strong>Naoko Uchih<strong>**a:** 11-years-old. She has black hair and green eyes. (Parents: Sasuke and Sakura)  
><strong>Shikarou Nara:<strong> 9-years-old. He has black hair and dark-green eyes. (Parents: Shikamaru and Temari)  
><strong>Inoue Inuzuka:<strong> 11-years-old. She has platinum blonde hair and dark-green eyes. (Parents: Kiba and Ino)  
><strong>Inokku Inuzuka:<strong> 9-years-old. He has brown hair and sky-blue eyes (Parents: Kiba and Ino)  
><strong>Shuu Aburame:<strong> 11-years-old. He wears a hood and googles, therefore their color are unknown (Parents: Shino and OC)  
><strong>Chojiro Akimichi:<strong> 12-years-old. He has brown hair and eyes. (Parents: Choji and OC)  
><strong>Takumi Hyuuga:<strong> 10-years-old. He has brown hair and milky brown eyes with no pupils. (Parents: Neji and Tenten)

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><p>Chapter 2<br>_Childhood Dreams_

We grow great by dreams. All big men are dreamers. They see things in the soft haze of a spring day or in the red fire of a long winter's evening. Some of us let these great dreams die, but others nourish and protect them; nurse them through bad days till they bring them to the sunshine and light which comes always to those who sincerely hope that their dreams will come true.  
><span>Woodrow Wilson<span>

**%&%&%&%&%&%&%&**

Minato Uzumaki was an uncomplicated boy. He played with his friends every day, he pulled pranks on his twin sister, and ate candy as much as he could without his mother finding out. And yet, as he walked into the room the Genin examination would take place, the harsh reminder that those times were not as simple overcame him.

The room, cleared of all the tables save for one large desk that rested in the middle of the room, had one ANBU standing in three out of the four corners that delimitated the space, all looking as stiff and tough as they did when his dad took him to the office with him. Were they expecting something bad to happen soon?

"We will grade the first part of the physical exam. Are you ready, kid?" Called a voice, taking Minato out of his trance.

His eyes focused on the two sensei sitting behind the table. Their Chuunin uniforms looked new, the fabric shiny and barely worn out at all. Their headbands, too, looked polished and well-kept. Minato couldn't help thinking if they were newly-graduated Chuunin.

He nodded nonetheless, chest tightening in anticipation.

The man on his right pointed to a large barrel attached to the ceiling on the corner that was not guarded by an ANBU. The blond followed the motion before returning his eyes to the proctors.

"Your task will be to transfer the contents of that barrel into this container." The same man explained, motioning between the out-of-reach barrel and a ratty looking container next to their desk. The receptacle looked fragile, so it couldn't be used to carry anything. "You may use any jutsu of your knowledge and anything in this room can be used to do this, you have a limit of five minutes starting…now!"

Minato was quick to search around the room for something that could be of help. He noticed multiple little cans scattered over the floor. He thought about using them, but, hell, how was he supposed to climb up to the barrel? The ceilings were high, too high to be reached even if he took the sole table in the room and stood on it.

The small blond saw some other things; plates of food, a bucket, brooms… what could he possibly use that for? He shook his head. Stupid bait objects.

Pearly lavender eyes caught sight of a small puddle in the floor underneath the barrel.

"_A genjutsu?" _He thought, examining the proctors suspiciously, as if some kind of indication of his suspicion would appear on their stony faces. "Kai." He whispered, frowning when the room did not change in the slightest detail. He smiled slightly, then. The contents of the barrel were liquids.

With time running out, Minato bent down to pick up the red container and placed it on top of the table where the chuunin were currently resting their arms on. He got a hold of one end of the desk and, to the shinobi's surprise, pushed the object towards the unoccupied corner of the room.

"Hey!" Called one of the men, causing the female ANBU at the farthest corner to let out a low chuckle, before clearing her throat and standing up a little straighter.

The boy paused for a second, looking at the woman; he had_ never_ seen such a high-ranked ninja laughing like that, especially not while on duty.

He shook his head and once again focused on his task, pushing the piece of furniture until it was pressed against the wall before climbing up. His hands shook slightly with nervousness as he felt the multiple stares pierce the back of his head.

Concentration filled his mind, focusing on just one thing: his feet. His arms stopped shaking, and instead relaxed as he allowed most of his energy to travel to the bottom of his shoes. And Minato took one step on the wall.

The silence on the room changed from an expectant one to one of disbelief. The eight-year-old boy, as uncomplicated and naïve as he could be, seemed to have mastered one of the hardest genin-rank techniques there were.

But the child was struggling greatly, and by the time he was able to reach the barrel, he was almost exhausted. Holding his own weight with his hands by grabbing the edge of the barrel, Minato pulled, causing all the water not only to cascade down on the table, and into the container, but also on himself. A second before he allowed himself to let go, one of the chuunin announced the time was over.

Minato allowed himself to fall down on the table, puddles doing nothing to wet his already drenched clothes. He lay there, breathing heavily, and his legs trembled with effort.

"Can you stand?" One of the proctors asked, arms moving to cross over his chest.

Breathing heavily, Minato shakily got on his hands and knees. It was a hard thing to do, everyone could see, but the adult men in front of him did not seem willing to help.

Suddenly, the female ANBU, the one who had laughed before, appeared next to them. The young blond observed with half-lidded eyes, and mouth agape, how the woman seemed to stare down the Chuunin nearest to her before turning to him and pick him up.

"You should have enough information by now, proctors." Another ANBU, the one standing near the door, said.

The Chuunin looked at the man briefly, then at the tired boy before nodding.

As the female ANBU carried him out of the examination room, Minato didn't know whether to feel at ease or scared about the situation. If he was honest, he was glad he didn't have to walk, but being this close to a person specially selected to be an assassin was slightly unnerving.

"Have you killed many people?" The boy asked without thinking, his age coming out to shine.

The woman stiffened slightly, breath catching in her chest, and fingers tightening their hold. She did not reply. Instead, she kept walking until they were outside. Answering was not part of her job, much on the contrary, she was to keep silent.

Minato spotted his sister sitting on a table at the other side of the school grounds. He turned his face lightly in order to look at the ANBU, and was rewarded with an almost automatic nod, indicating that the chestnut haired woman had seen what she was looking for.

There was a pull on his stomach, and the sensation of wind hitting his face, and the next thing he saw was his sister jump, and heard a startled cry from his white-haired friend when the high-ranked ninja suddenly came to stand next to them.

Staring at the children through her mask, she settled the young boy on top of the table, and focused her eyes on the smallest boy.

"You are better now, I suppose?" She asked, her voice as expressionless as the mask she wore.

Ruby eyes met the porcelain mask in an uncomfortable gaze, the boy shifting his weight from one side to the other. He had wanted to keep his problem on the test hidden from his friends, but it was now too late.

"Y-yes, ma'am." He replied instead, voice shaking. He took a deep breath and exhaled calmly as if to prove his words.

The ANBU nodded, the dove her mask resembled getting an eerie expression as the shadows hitting it changed before returning to normal. And, without warning, she disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

The children remained quiet for a few seconds, in which the blond girl took a long breath to calm herself down. Then, the twins looked at their younger friend, for the first time noticing the lack of color his face sported.

"What happened?" Was the question that cut the silence.

The white-haired boy placed his arms on the table and rested his head on them, as if he was about to sleep. He gave a small shrug, and eyed the girl with pleading eyes. When she didn't back from her question, he sighed.

"I just had a bit of trouble breathing." He muttered. The twins didn't say anything, so the boy raised his head to look around them.

There were a couple ANBU that could be seen, just standing there in the shadow casted by the trees, and Takeshi reasoned that there were probably more that were hidden.

"Do you think they'll care?" Kushina's voice called.

"Hm?"

"In the test, 'Keshi." The girl said, frowning. "Do you think they'll pass you if they know you're sick?"

Takeshi wasn't sure. His father had said it wouldn't matter, and his mother had told him about one of her own classmates, who was able to become a genin despite being as ill as he was. Besides, he had already signed the paper where he agreed to all the conditions set by the Hokage , meaning that his test should be as fair as the rest. But he didn't really know. Perhaps they decided that a weak shinobi was not worth the risk.

"I managed to pass, I think." He replied instead.

A loud alarm interrupted further discussion. According to instructions given the day before, they were to make their way to the training grounds, for the actual physical test was to take place there.

With a small groan, Minato got up from his seat. He was really tired. But at least he had completed the test the way he had wanted to. He waited for his sister and friend to get up from the table and together they walked towards the group of children that was already forming.

Takeshi noticed, not without nervousness, that adults were already forming a group next to the shinobi prospects. Identifying two of the figures, his eyes widened, ruby orbs attempting to recognize some of the others. He succeeded; his gaze passing over a mop of blond hair, then pink, and various blacks.

"Why are parents here?" He whispered.

The blond children followed his head, to look where he was looking. They, too, seemed to recognize some of the adults. Grimacing, they shrugged. No one had told them about it either, but fighting in front of their parents was sure to be very strange. Then again, they would have to fight at some point, and if having spectators made them freeze over, war meant a sure death.

The gravel crunched audibly beneath their feet, as it did for the other children who were making their way over to the growing group of people. Takeshi, Kushina, and Minato were much too small to see what was happening from the back, and so, struggled to push some of the older academy students in order to get to the front.

A simple, circular battle ground lay in front of them, and in the middle stood Iruka, looking much older than what he had looked ever before. More tired, more worried. Looking over at the two people she recognized the most from among the adults, Kushina was able to distinguish the perturbed stance of her father.

"… Must not let the shuriken touch you," were the words that finally alerted her to look back at the sensei. "Besides this, you will be armed with three weapons that you may use as you see fit. The selected applicants will be announced a few minutes after this task, along with the Genin Teams they will form." He cleared his throat and rose his head to spare the Dove ANBU a glance before looking back to the children "Is this understood?"

A chorus of high voices mixing with mature ones resounded in affirmative answers. The teacher smiled and motioned for a standby Chuunin to come over. He handed him, in a manner everybody could see, three shuriken, and the man handed him his equipment pouch in exchange.

Everyone heard as the names of the applicants were called before Iruka handed them three weapons, and, in turn, went over to the center of the arena, one by one, to face of the ninja that had at least ten years of experience on them.

Accidents didn't show any kind of shyness, and most of the kids abandoned the drawn circle with scratches on arms and legs, but a lot wore a smile on their face, despite the tense atmosphere that had fallen upon not only the students, but also the parents.

Takeshi Hatake looked simply _tiny _standing in front of the proctor. But, with hands and knees trembling slightly due to his nerves, took a valiant position of attack, whereas most children had opted to defend.

The Chuunin sighed silently and ran a hand through his brown hair, but also got on guard, in a more generic position than the one the child had adopted. The man threw a shuriken almost carelessly, like he couldn't believe they were making him fight a _baby_.

Jumping to the side, the boy observed as the Chuunin began to walk along the limits of the field, in a move that, the white-haired child knew, was a movement the man seemed to favor. Takeshi, feeling like he knew what to do, threw two of his shuriken at the man, managing to see one of them cutting into the Chuunin's uniform, for he had attempted to dodge the other one.

Happy to see he had achieved what no one else could, the boy didn't notice the man throwing another weapon, with a little more force than what he had intended. The blade of the shuriken dug into pale skin, right underneath the child's right eye. Surprised, Takeshi yelped quietly and quickly moved his head out of harm's way, which caused him to fall heavily on his back.

A loud murmur erupted from the group of parents watching, two of the individuals giving a step forward before stopping, remembering that they were not supposed to intervene.

Iruka was quick to run over to the child, worry etching even further on his face. The ruby-eyed boy held onto the wound with both hands, the thin trail of blood staining young skin. Innocent skin. His uncovered eye was beginning to get teary, but Takeshi seemed unwilling to let tears fall, and instead he followed the sensei's instruction of removing his hands so he could assess the damage.

Deciding that it was not as a big deal as he had initially thought, the tanned man pressed a cloth to the boy's cut and helped him get up, guiding him to the limits of the field. Before stepping out, Takeshi turned around sharply, throwing the last of his shuriken towards the proctor. The weapon flew, but the Chuunin could only stand there, watching the boy with wide eyes, allowing the blade to cut him—albeit much more superficially—in the same place he had inflicted the wound on the child.

Still holding the cloth to his face, Takeshi let out a shuddery breath as surprise took over the spectators. That's what he had to do. Battlefield or not, he could not allow himself to abandon the fight. Abandoning meant losing. Losing meant dying.

With the boy finally out of the field, Iruka doubted slightly, passing his glance from the youngest student to the ANBU closest to them, before clearing his throat an continue calling names.

Takumi Hyuuga was, to the surprise of everyone watching, the one who looked the most trained, while both Uchiha still seemed to be the most confident on their abilities. Both Inuzuka received a warning from the older Chuunin, for they used their canine partners more than their own bodies to fight. Still the sensei seemed to give up when Shuu Aburame insisted on using his bugs while in combat. In the end, the man had decided, those children would always count on their animals during battles.

Kushina's fight was, however, the one that brought the nearby ANBU to the field. The blonde girl had disappeared from sight the moment her battle had started, her thin body replaced by a log as she reappeared hanging on the proctor's back, holding the rusty shuriken to his throat.

The gloved hand of the ANBU was immediately there, holding the small wrist in a tight hold. Kushina grimaced and closed her eyes, expecting some sort of punishment for her rash behavior. She only was, however, pulled down form the Chuunin rather harshly. She opened her eyes, looking up at the masked face of the woman in fear, before she was ushered out of the field.

The ANBU seemed slightly tenser than what she had during the last exam, and she eyed each of them in silence before turning her head to the Hokage. The children could not see her face, but if the blond's expression was anything to go by, the ANBU must have looked particularly worried as well.

After everyone had taken the test, the two Chuunin walked to the middle of the field, Iruka holding several papers while the other man began bandaging the small gashes on his skin. They talked in hushed voices, often stealing a glance at one of the students before shaking or nodding their heads almost imperceptibly.

Nervous glances were exchanged by the pupils, but most of them attempted to keep their faces straight, lithe bodies in the most perfect stance they could manage. A few of them were already shifting nervously from one leg to the other or giving small skips in their place.

It seemed like an eternity, but the teachers both nodded their heads at each other before looking at the group of children in front of them. Iruka cleared his throat; a low, excruciating sound that had the shinobi prospects quiet almost immediately.

"As you know, our shinobi forces do not have the amount of Jounin necessary to offer you all a place as a low-level ninja." The man began, dark eyes going to examine the list of new Genin once again. "The people I will now announce have proved themselves to be the best qualified to keep up with the requirements of the present status of the village. Those who I don't mention will spend another year in the Academy, in hopes our forces are able to provide Jounin that will be ready to guide you."

Most of the students were now doubtful. They did not have the knowledge of how many shinobi could be spared to teach them, but by the sound of it, they were very few. Some were trying to catch their parents' eye, for them to reassure them a little bit, but all the adults were focused on the tanned man.

"Now, as I call your name, you must come forward and wait under that tree," Iruka vaguely pointed to a large specimen that, to the relief of many people, casted an equally large shadow. "Aburame, Shuu. Aotero, Shinji. Akimichi, Chojiro. Oma, Keiko." He paused to clean the sweat from his chin before continuing "Hatake, Takeshi. Hyuuga, Takumi. Inuzuka, Inoue. Inuzuka, Inokku. Iomi, Kenshin. Nara, Shikarou. Uchiha, Naoko. Uchiha, Ryuu. Uzumaki, Kushina. Uzumaki, Minato." The Chuunin paused once again, doubt evident in his eyes. "Sabaku No Yami." He finally called.

All of the parents looked torn. There was happiness for sure, knowing that their child was as skilled as to be one of the top fifteen from among so many made their chests swell with joy. But these were the kids that would be battling in the front lines if once war finally interrupted the pseudo-peace that had finally settled on the village. On the other side, the adults did not like hearing that their boy or girl was not the best, but were thrilled to know they would not be in any immediate danger.

Little by little, fourteen children walked over to stand under the indicated tree, their shoulders now relaxed as they fought off smiles that threatened to illuminate their whole face.

The Chuunin said some words to the rejected students, gesturing their parents with his left hand. The children and teenagers left slowly, almost as if they were gravely injured. The younger Chuunin bowed to Iruka, who nodded in return, and walked behind the group of aggrieved kids, pushing the backs of some and giving encouraging words to others.

With a sigh, the scarred man turned towards the graduates, walking over to them until he too was under the shade of the tree.

"Very well," Began Iruka, scratching the scar that ran over his nose slightly "Usually, teams are decided by your grades in all of the tests, this time, however, we have chosen to form a more complete cell by measuring your strengths and weaknesses and putting you together with those who compliment you."

Ryuu licked his lips slightly, gaining a superior look on his face as he eyed each of his classmates as the rest bore their eyes into their teacher's skin.

The man smiled slightly, sadly, as if saying a wordless goodbye before explaining them what they should do once their name was assigned to a team, then proceeded to motion with his head at the few adults that stood to a side, close enough to see their faces clearly, but far enough not to hear anything that was being said.

"We assigned you teams before deciding who would be continuing on, so the numbers are not in order." The man explained calmly, his voice now laced with kindness rather than strength. "Team fifteen. Chojiro Akimichi, Inokku Inuzuka, and Shikarou Nara."

The three boys searched for each other before moving, as a group, to the left side of the shade provided by the tree, while the others remained in the center, awaiting in stiff silence.

"Team twelve. Minato Uzumaki, Kushina Uzumaki, and Takeshi Hatake." The man called, his voice seemingly strained and weak at his reading. He glanced at the Jounin, his eyes asking an unreadable question as the twins celebrated quietly.

The blonds grinned at each other, their hands clenched together tightly as they looked around for their missing friend, who was still holding the piece of cloth to his eye, even though the wound was bleeding much less than what it had been. They were quick in grabbing on to their friend's arms before pulling him with them, standing behind the rest of the graduates.

The Chuunin smiled slightly, watching both teams now looking mostly relieved. "Team forty-four. Ryuu Uchiha, Inoue Inuzuka, and Shuu Aburame." This time, he decided not to wait to see the actions of his former students when he noticed the youngest Uchiha push one of his teammates to hurry them up. "Team thirty. Shinji Aotero, Keiko Oma, and Kenshin Iomi."

When only two graduates remained at the center, they looked at each other, their faces serious. The sensei cleared his throat, mumbling that the remaining student should be getting there soon. "Team sixty-six. Naoko Uchiha, Takumi Hyuuga, and Sabaku No Yami."

The green-eyed girl looked down at her teammate, who did not return her gaze. She then proceeded to stare at the teacher, facial expression revealing pure confusion.

"Sensei," She called "Who—?"

Her words were interrupted by a tall figure jumping off the tree they were under, holding the hand of a young girl. The blond man grinned cheekily at Iruka, who in turn eyed him with an angry look that lost its strength due to the smile that threatened to pull at the older man's lips.

Shifting his blue eyes towards the children, the man let go of the pale hand he was holding, giving the girl a small tap on the head.

Iruka rolled his eyes at his former student's gesture, which seemed to make the girl twitch with irritation, to what the Chuunin could only wonder how many times the youngster had suffered that since she had arrived. "Kids, _this_ is Sabaku No Yami." The man finally introduced, as the blond went back to the group of parents waiting a little away from them. "She comes from Sunagakure. As you may know, our fellow village has fallen onto heavy attack, and her father has made the decision of sending her into safer ground. As she passed the test in her village, it was issued that she is to become a shinobi immediately."

Instead of touching her like Naruto had done, Iruka signaled to the two children standing in front of them, hand open and palm up in what he hoped was a friendly invitation. The girl eyed her new companions before walking forward.

Once the children were properly settled into their teams (smiles and frowns thrown between each other as they sized up their new teammates), Iruka turned to his right, smiling melancholically at the parents before looking to his left, finally motioning for the Jounin sensei to approach.

Four men and one woman looked at each other before they began walking towards them, faces impassive. The tallest male focused his charcoal eyes on the oldest graduates, his jaw tightening sternly.

"Team thirty. Come with me." He said, burying his hands in the pockets of his tattered Jounin vest. Without sparing them another glance, he turned around, walking away from the rest of the people in the school.

The teenagers were quick in running after him, pushing some of the younger kids aside so that they were not on their way.

"Idiots" Murmured the youngest Uchiha angrily, pulling his blue, short-sleeved hoodie over his shoulder correctly, since it had moved out of place when the oldest boy had shoved him.

Next came the only kunoichi, who smiled despite the nervous looks she received. Raising her right hand to stop her pink hair, blowing because of the sudden cold wind, from covering her eyes, she glanced at each of the groups before finally announcing, "Team twelve."

She waited until the children were in front of her before giving Iruka a small smile and leading the kids away. With a final glance to the now gray sky, she took her students inside the school building.

Without approaching the Genin too much, two of the males raised their hands, signaling their team number. As teams forty-four and sixty-six anxiously walked over to them, the long-haired man, who was the taller of the two, turned to his comrade, pearly-white eyes severe.

"You better train my son instead of complaining about the arduousness of it all."

Narrow brown eyes travelled from the approaching children to the older male, their expression unchanging. "I do _not_ wish for your kid to die." The shorter man spared another glance at the Genin, his expression softening slightly and turned to face the Byakugan holder. "You take care of that girl, Neji."

Nodding in understanding, the older man was the first to leave. He looked at his team, who was now standing in front of him, signaled the roof with his left thumb, and quickly disappeared in a tornado of leaves.

The black-haired man gave an unimpressed shrug, looking at his comrade's Genin groan slightly before hurrying to the building. He then looked at his own students, still not knowing what to do to determine their permanence as a team. After a few seconds, the man pulled a diminutive smile.

"Name's Shikamaru," he told the three children "Come, let's go eat something. Does Yakiniku Q sound fine?"

He began walking immediately, not waiting for the answer, but he was able to hear the footsteps behind him after a few seconds. He nodded to the couple of parents that were still in the grounds, easily noticing how most of them had now left.

Meanwhile, the last Jounin had neared the remaining team, grinning at them as if he couldn't feel the grave atmosphere around him. Iruka sighed inaudibly, but nodded at the man nonetheless, and with a final peek to the children, left.

"All right!" The man exclaimed to the air "Got the all-boy team!" He then proceeded to ruffle their hair, laughing to himself.

The new Genin looked up to their sensei, letting out a startled gasp when the adult sat down on the floor, motioning them to do the same. They obeyed, settling down on the grass in front of their seemingly thick teacher. Uncomfortable silence followed as the man rummaged his pockets for a few minutes, until the older male took out a rectangular box from his weapon pouch.

Away, in the small group of parents that remained, the Hokage eyed the teams he could see silently, face once again serious.

"Oi, Naruto," Called the oldest shinobi present. The blond man turned to him attempting a smile but failed. "Have you heard nothing from him?"

The Hokage shook his head, and looked over at the black-haired man in the distance, hoping his former teammate would not traumatize this batch of Genin as badly he had done with the last four he had gotten. He was taken out of his thoughts by a teenager, almost as tall as he was, with tanned skin, whose crimson eyes had locked with his.

"Hokage-sama, may I know who you're talking about?" Asked the boy, sparing a curious glance to Kakashi.

"An ANBU soldier. His mission was supposed to end last month."

As the teen was about to answer, a man's voiced gave a reproachful cry. Almost everyone turned to him, but he was busy looking at the team that sat under the large tree. A woman with platinum blonde hair regarded his with an annoyed look.

"What is it, Choji?" The female asked, trying to see what her former teammate was watching.

"Konohamaru-kun already gave the children earrings. I thought he was supposed to wait until after the final test."

The blonde rolled her eyes, whispering something about it not being the right time, and returned to her talk with the other three females present.

It was not much longer before Team Twelve reappeared at the schools entrance, having already met each other many times in the past. The children ran to their parents talking excitedly as Sakura walked over to them slowly, the previous heavy atmosphere lifting at least for a little while.

"Mommy!" Cried a boy, letting go of the hand he was holding and running over to her, hugging her as she struggled to continue walking without picking him up.

The blond Hokage kneeled, his face breaking into a forced grin as his kids ran straight into their arms, chatting excitedly about the training session that was planned for the next morning.

"Sakura-sensei told us not to eat anything." The little gray-haired boy told his father, who had scooped him into his arms to check the wound near his eye more closely.

Kakashi turned to his former female student his visible eye suspicious. "Did she, now?" Was the only thing he said before returning to analyze the cut noticing that the bleeding had stopped completely and only a thin scar remained.

He nodded appreciably to the pink-haired woman who smiled and told him the scar would probably be permanent; due to the sensitive place it was located.

"Dad, I'll carry him." Kakashi passed the short seven-year-old over o the dark-skinned teen, whose black haired contrasted greatly with the young boy's, and proceeded to inform the rest of the people there that they would be leaving, walking away almost immediately.

"Shikamaru took Naoko and the other two kids to Yakiniku Q" Naruto told the kunoichi, who was now standing in front of him, holding her son "Ryuu is on the roof with Neji."

Sakura nodded, her attention shifting between the blond and her son, who was informing her that he was really hungry and wanted a lollipop. She bent down slightly, gently holding the boy's face in place. "Now, Kiseki, you're ten, you know candy comes after food" She ruffled the child's grayish-black hair, but did turn to the women that were still around. "Thank you for taking care of him, Hinata-chan." She said, sparing the roof a glance before asking someone to inform Sasuke that he had to wait for Ryuu before heading out with a small wave of her hand, the talkative boy holding to her middle stubbornly.

One by one, the teams finished their meetings and returned to their parents, most of them grinning, though some seemed more serious now than what they had been before. The Inuzuka's were the next ones to leave, for Ino seemed much too worried about leaving the shop her family owned unattended for so long, followed closely by Shino and his wife, whose son was the most somber out of all the kids.

When Neji found out his son was no longer in the school, he asked his own wife, the only woman there apart from Hinata, if she already wanted to return home, to what the brown-haired weapons master answered affirmatively. Nodding in good-bye while Tenten waved, he left the Academy in a flash.

By the time Sasuke returned alone, his students nowhere to be seen, Konohamaru was still talking animatedly with two of his three students, who were either too polite or too scared of the man to ask for permission to leave.

"Sasuke," Naruto began slowly, eyeing the taller man warily "Where's your team?"

"Nevermind that," The blond could see very clearly how the black-haired man refrained from saying something that, knowing Sasuke as well as he did, was probably an insult, his eyes averting to his young son for a second "Have you heard anything from him?"

Knowing full well who his former-teammate was talking about, for he was perfectly aware that the Uchiha had been the missing ANBU's squad leader before retiring and leaving his post to him, Naruto shook his head. "If he doesn't return tonight, I'll send a search party. At the very least, I would like to give his dog tags to his old team."

Nodding, Sasuke thanked Hinata for babysitting Kiseki before saying his quiet goodbye, nudging his scowling son so that he would follow. The boy did, not once taking his eyes off the dirt he was kicking.

Although he wanted to wait until all the teams were finished with their introductions, Naruto was aware that he needed to return to the Hokage tower to finish his work. He apologized to Hinata, promising to get home as early as he could before kneeling next to his children, bowing to them they would go eat wherever they wanted the next day.

Hinata offered to stay with Shikamaru and Choji until their kids had been dismissed, but both refused, insisting they were fine by themselves and that Kushina and Minato were probably tired and wanted to go home. The woman nodded thankfully, the shyness of her youth almost completely gone, and walked off the grounds with her children holding her hands.

"What made you want to become a sensei, Shikamaru?" Asked the fat man after the black-haired Jounin complained about the waiting.

The red-headed girl that had been standing next to him looked up at as well, waiting for the answer. The Nara immediately straightened, impassive face turning to his friend. He allowed one hand to hold the girl's shoulder in a reassuring touch. "We need the King to be able to defend himself." He replied simply, hoping Choji would understand.

The other male made a noise with the back of his throat that told Shikamaru that he had known what he was talking about, though the little girl only kept looking at him.

After much waiting, Shikamaru decided that he had had enough, and lazily walked over to the still chattering Konohamaru, explaining that the boys probably wanted to go home and rest to be prepared for the next day. The other Jounin laughed and dismissed the two kids before disappearing by jumping to the tree.

With a sigh, the older Nara turned to his friend, asking if he wanted to go to his house for dinner, to what the shorter man readily agreed. Shikamaru's house was much closer than his own and judging from the sky and wind, rain was not too far away.

_**$/$/$/$/$/$/$/$/$/$/$/$**_

And a shadow suddenly appeared, jumping through rooftops and running in-between peaceful houses and dark alleys, mysterious to the naked eye, paths unknown to many people.

The rain was heavy, unyielding force soaking the small figure that did not really seem to care. The porcelain mask shone against the moonlight, but the rest of the clothing remained in the darkness. T one point, the figure stopped completely, taking off the white cloak it had been using, for it had become too heavy.

It jumped through the window of a high building, soundless, and stood up straight in front of the dark wooden desk that stood at the back of the room. The blond man behind the desk looked up, examining the big spots of brown on the grey vest where blood from the enemy had dried.

"I hope the mission went as expected?" The blonde questioned, leaving the pen on top of the papers he was signing. He crossed his arms over the desk, in a gesture that said he was not happy, but relief had been etched onto his face. "You were gone for a month longer than you should have."

"No setbacks, Hokage-sama." The black hair dripped wet and stained the carpet beneath the boy. The voice was strange; though normally strong, this time it had been replaced by a weak, broken thread of its former. "The target moved around unperceptively. Even so, I determined his location and executed my mission."

The Hokage's gaze went down to the boy's hands and noticed a faint tremble. He had to look away, or else he would have stared at the sight – This kid _never_ trembled. Neither of his limbs wavered for a second when he was wounded or nervous. Something was _wrong_ and Naruto didn't like it one bit.

"Is there anything I should know about?"

"Negative, sir. The target was found and executed on sight, as per ordered."

Silence overcame the room; the rain outside so loud the roof gave the sensation of giving in. There were no ANBU hidden in the office, the Hokage had ordered them to leave a couple of hours ago, so there was no way anybody could hear the conversation.

Naruto nodded, and the young ANBU turned to leave.

"Wait, Ren." Called the man.

The ANBU stopped in his tracks, and Naruto had to restrain himself not to shiver in his seat when the expressionless mask stared at him. In his opinion, that boy's mask was the scariest out of all the ANBUs'; the mask tried to resemble a tiger, the mouth delineated with black, though there were two red marks at each side that looked like wounds; the contour of the eyes was black and over them, two black triangles that led straight to the masks ears; the ends of the mask, unlike most others, simulated hair.

When the boy did no other move, the blond haired man rose from his seat, carefully walking towards his subordinate. He knew how badly the young ANBU could react towards being approached like that, but he did not receive such any sort of response.

Instead, when the blond Hokage, dressed in a simple jonin uniform, touched the petite shoulder, the younger male seemed to relax a little, as if he was comforted by the simple contact with another human being after so long.

"Yes, Hokage-sama?" Asked the boy.

Naruto locked eyes with those of the mask, trying to see beyond it, to no avail. "I would like you to take some time off." The shoulder under his hand tensed. "You will return to ANBU, if you wish, but people need to rest, Ren." He allowed a few minutes to pass by, the eeriness of the emotionless mask broken by the child choosing to look at the floor. "Your former team is worried about you."

"Hokage-sama, I…" The voice paused, choked. A series of coughs took over the small body. Naruto quickly helped the boy sit down and gave gentle pats to his back, hoping it would help. The only reason that the porcelain mask was not removed was because the child held it tightly to his face.

The coughing slowly became a calm breathing. The blond sighed, it was obvious, _stupidly _obvious, even, that the boy next to him needed a rest, or else the body would no longer be able to hold the mind and soul it now contained… but at the same time…

"What are you so worried about? You've been a ninja for eight years, I'm just asking for a month of rest."

After another, smaller cough, the young ANBU sighed. "I do not have money, Hokage-sama, I buy food with my share of earnings from missions, but I can afford nothing more."

Of _course_ he knew. Naruto knew that the boy had signed papers so that most of his earnings went to the village, so much, that his ANBU did not have a home of his own. Most of the time, there were reports of him sleeping on a bench in the Headquarters —He was supposed to pass a punishment, he knew, but he didn't dare to— and other times only God knew where he spent the night.

But of course he didn't think about that, the decision had been made so fast in his head that he could not think of any negative consequences.

"There are spare rooms in my house." He said without thinking. The boy looked at him —Or Naruto thought he did, by the way the mask suddenly moved into his general direction— "You could stay in the wing that is not being used, my wife cooks all the meals, and my children will not bother you. At least while you are off-duty."

His suggestion was received with a shake of the head, and the blond couldn't help the grimace that came over his face. He could feel the tension from the skin under his fingers, and Naruto was sure such edginess was beginning to hurt the youth.

The posture of someone who had seen too much for too long engraved into his eyes as he saw the child. His soldier.

"Let us take care of you for one night." The adult said, though he was sure it sounded more like a plead. "I will be sure to get you a home of your own by the end of the week. Free of charge."

His only response was a sudden relaxation of the muscles of the shoulders, hands becoming limp and head leaning backwards due to its weight. The breathing was strangely calm, rhythmic beats of the heart taking over the disarranged appearance of the boy.

The blond could only smile sadly, although he was unsure if the boy had fell asleep or fainted. Taking the white cloak and hanging it over his shoulder, he picked up the small body, not caring that his own clothes would get dirty with the grim and blood that the child sported. The documents could be finished some other day, for now, he just cradled the ANBU he had created in his arms and ran to his home.

"_Is this what children's dreams will end up as from now on?"_

* * *

><p>Yup that's it. That ANBU boy is the one from the Prologue, by the way.<p>

Takumi's eyes have a perfectly rational explanation, too, but I'll explain that when I focus directly on his team's background.

Kiseki and Ryuu _are_ twins (if you were wondering because of their age), but as it will be explained in a later chapter (hell, probably in one of the next two), they were not in the academy together, since Kiseki was never entered.

...'Kay, that's it, just one question: _**Even numbers or odd numbers?**_

**_Please review! look! they even made it easier and you just had to go to the text box below and write your comment! =D_**


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